to reuse or not to reuse

Urban Land Institute enlists ideas to remake Houston's Downtown Post Office;four finalists emerge

Designed by Houston architecture firm Wilson, Morris, Crain & Anderson, thedowntown post office opened in 1962 with much fanfare.
Photo by Tyler Rudick
"The Post" plan by Columbia University, one of the few teams to repurpose theoriginal post office.
Rendering courtesy UIL/Gerald D. Hines Student Urban Design Competition
"The Grand" by students from the University of California, Berkeley
Rendering courtesy UIL/Gerald D. Hines Student Urban Design Competition
"The Hill" plan by students of the University of Michigan
Rendering courtesy UIL/Gerald D. Hines Student Urban Design Competition
"Downtown BaYOU," University of Colorado/Harvard University
Rendering courtesy UIL/Gerald D. Hines Student Urban Design Competition
The four final teams toured the site to get a firsthand look at thepossibilities for the post office property.
Photo by Tyler Rudick
Perched above Buffalo Bayou, the site offers a clear view of the downtownskyline.
Photo by Tyler Rudick
In front of the post office sits a cool mod garden designed by noted Houstonlandscape architect Fred Buxton.
Photo by Tyler Rudick
"The Grand" by students from the University of California, Berkeley
Rendering courtesy UIL/Gerald D. Hines Student Urban Design Competition
"The Grand" by students from the University of California, Berkeley
Rendering courtesy UIL/Gerald D. Hines Student Urban Design Competition
"The Post" by students from Columbia University
Rendering courtesy UIL/Gerald D. Hines Student Urban Design Competition
"The Hill" plan by students of the University of Michigan
Rendering courtesy UIL/Gerald D. Hines Student Urban Design Competition
"The Hill" plan by students of the University of Michigan
Rendering courtesy UIL/Gerald D. Hines Student Urban Design Competition
"Downtown BaYOU" by the joint team of University of Colorado and HarvardUniversity.
Rendering courtesy UIL/Gerald D. Hines Student Urban Design Competition

The downtown Houston Post Office and Processing Center opened to considerable fanfare in 1962 with a well-publicized ceremony that included the reading of a letter from President John F. Kennedy.

Sadly, the last decade has been unkind to the U.S. Postal Service as Internet and cell phone technology slowed mail volume to a trickle compared to the '60s. In 2009, it was announced that the Franklin Street property would be sold to offset the federal agency’s financial losses.

Each group is required to have at least one non-designer in its mix, leaving room for ideas from students working in fields like real estate, finance and even psychology.

The Urban Land Institute (ULI), a national non-profit dedicated to promoting responsible development projects, recently selected the downtown USPS lot near the intersection of I-10 and I-45 as the focus of its 10th annual Gerald D. Hines Student Urban Design Competition.

From almost 140 participating groups across the nation, four final teams — from the University of Michigan, University of California–Berkley, Columbia University and a joint team from Harvard and the University of Colodaro — were chosen in February.

Last week, the finalists visited the site for themselves.The property is bordered by a railyard on the north, the tiny Houston Amtrak station on the west with Smith Street and the University of Houston–Downtown on the east. Buffalo Bayou marks the southern-most edge of the site, bringing with it a rather serious flooding issue.

The ULI student contest, named for noted Houston developer Gerald Hines, looks for locations that will foster cooperation among future land use professionals ranging from architects and engineers to urban planners and historic preservationists.

Here's the hypothetical design scenario for this year's competition: The fictional Central Houston Foundation (CHF) is looking to redevelop the 16-acre post office site with the goal of creating a new economically-viable and community-oriented district to compliment the city's growing downtown.

In teams of five, students will serve as master developers to propose an over all land use plan as well as financial projections to measure the financial feasibility of the project. Each group is required to have at least one non-designer in its mix, leaving room for ideas from students working in fields like real estate, finance and even psychology.

Planning ahead

CultureMap joined the finalists on the tour of the post office property, trying to get a sense of how the projects might look when they're presented to ULI judges on April 5 and 6.

"The biggest part of our project was having park space," said Brian Chambers of the UC–Berkley team. "We took out Franklin Street and restored Washington to downtown, allowing for the park to go straight to the bayou, creating a Discovery Green-esque area."

Looking at projections estimating a 3.5 million rise in population throughout the next 25 years, the group took advantage of an option in the competition to secure additional land to better connect the site to light rail and encourage growth inside the city center.

"You don't get your backyard pool and your barbecue, but you get this huge park along the Bayou," he said. "Then you can jump on the commuter rail to see your friends living in the Heights or in another other part of town."

"You don't get your backyard pool and your barbecue, but you get this huge park along the Bayou," said Brian Chambers of the University of California–Berkley team.

As with many of the groups in the contest, the UC–Berkley team had to painfully weigh the costs of reusing the vintage mid-century post office. Of the four finalists, only the Columbia University students currently plan to repurpose the aging building.

"The tour of the site has raised a lot hard questions for us," said Chambers, an urban planning student. "We wanted to have adaptive reuse as part of our plan, but the time required by the [hypothetical] developers to get their money back, which was about 10 years, has made that a challenge."

But it's just this type of big-picture thinking ULI is attempting to draw out of the student competitors.

"There are two juries who select the winner," said ULI communications manager Robert Krueger, noting the first place award of $50,000 and the $10,000 cash prizes for the remaining three finalists. "One looks at the financials and another at the actual design. In the end, we want cities to be able to look at these projects and ideas as possibly viable solutions."

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Good Brick Awards 2025

Preservation Houston honors historic buildings with annual awards

Photo by Divya Pande

The Waldo Mansion at 201 Westmoreland.

Preservation Houston’s Good Brick Awards return for their 46th year celebrating excellence in historic preservation. PH presented the first Good Brick Awards in 1979 to recognize outstanding contributions to the preservation, restoration, and enhancement of Houston’s architectural and cultural heritage. Counting the 2025 recipients, the organization has recognized more than 420 people and projects with Good Bricks in the past 46 years.

“The diversity of the 2025 award recipients reflects the remarkable evolution of Houston’s preservation movement,” says Kathy Washburn, PH’s interim executive director. “These projects are a testament to the dedication of those who care deeply about preserving our city’s heritage, and we’re honored to recognize the people and groups that brought them to life.”

Houston has many things that it does well, topping annual charts for numerous positive achievements — like the abundance of parks and other green spaces. However, the Bayou City doesn’t even rank in the top 20 of cities with beautiful old houses. Aggressive redevelopment and gentrification practices across the city have led to rapidly dwindling numbers of historic homes and other properties. Happily, creative and adaptive reuse practices are seeing more and more historic properties saved, restored, and living fresh lives. The Good Brick Awards serve as a reminder that this city is teeming with capable stewards of these buildings, great and small — and that’s something to celebrate.

So, without further ado, here are the 2025 Preservation Houston Good Brick Award recipients, along with a few words from some of the honorees about what this honor means to them. The 2025 Good Brick Award winners will be recognized during The Cornerstone Dinner on February 28, 2025, at the River Oaks Country Club.

The Preservation Houston President’s Award

Jon Deal for his contributions to historic preservation in Houston.

Deal is founder of The Deal Company, a development and investment firm specializing in repurposing former industrial and retail buildings in the urban core. He has been involved with several prior Good Brick Award-winning projects including the adaptive reuse of the former Riviana Rice silos in First Ward as The Silos at Sawyer Yards.

Juried Awards

Jason Johnson for an addition to the Lighthouse House (1906, Olle Lorehn) in the Old Sixth Ward Historic District.

“I was raised inside the loop. I love this city. I strive to be a good steward of my property. I want to do what I can to help preserve our architectural history,” Johnson says.

Diane and Ray Krueger for the adaptive reuse of the Big Three Industries Building (1974, MacKie & Kamrath) in Greater Heights.

“The Big Three Industries Building is a Houston story. Having the opportunity to acquire and repurpose it to a mixed-use of offices with our home on the top floor was a starting point for it to have a new life. Living there is a singular experience! Receiving a Good Brick Award validates our vision for this Kamrath wonder,” Ray Krueger says.

Julia W. Long for rehabilitating the Warshaw House (1965, Hy Applebaum) in Meyerland.

Hon. Annise Parker and Kathy Hubbard for renovating the Crawford House (1904) in the Westmoreland Historic District.

Mary Patton for rehabilitating the Herzog House (1956, Paul László) in Braeswood.

“I’m deeply honored to receive this award. After a decade in interior design, I’ve come to realize how essential preservation is,” Patton says. “This recognition is especially meaningful because it reflects a shared appreciation for valuing what already exists and finding ways to enhance it, rather than replacing it simply because we can.”

Julia and Thomas Pascal Will Robinson for rehabilitating the Waldo Mansion (1905) in the Westmoreland Historic District.

Charles Stava and Jacob Garber-Stava for restoring the Martha Perlitz House (1912, Alonzo N. Dawson) in the Avondale West Historic District.

“I've known my house for years before I purchased it, as I knew the previous owner,” Chuck Stava says. “He had it extensively modernized in the 1960s, which he later regretted. I could envision what a grand home it once was and felt it was our duty to return it to its rightful appearance both inside and outside. Receiving a Good Brick Award is a vindication of our efforts to restore one of Montrose's original grand ladies.”

Buffalo Soldiers National Museum for the rehabilitation of the Houston Light Guard Armory (1925, Alfred C. Finn) in Midtown/Third Ward.

The Church at 1548 Heights for restoring the historic windows at its building (1924, Alfred C. Finn) in Houston Heights.

Stephen Fox for his book The Architecture of Birdsall P. Briscoe.

The Martha Peterson Award

Southampton Centennial Committee for the Southampton Place Centennial Celebration.

“We are thrilled the Good Brick award honors Southampton’s architectural and cultural history. Our community’s strength and future commitment are enriched by Preservation Houston’s recognition,” committee member Joe Fischer says.

Jim Parsons is the program director for Preservation Houston and believes that highlighting the successes of dedicated preservationists remains important to the continuing efforts of individuals and communities to restore and preserve historic structures.

“From day one, we’ve believed in celebrating outstanding preservation projects and the people who make them happen,” Parsons says. “It’s not just about honoring their work — it’s about showing Houstonians that we can respect our past while keeping historic buildings a meaningful part of our city’s future.”

Congratulations to the winners of the 2025 Good Brick Awards and their contributions to the preservation of our historic spaces.

For more information about Preservation Houston and the Good Brick Awards, visit the organization’s website.

Photo by Divya Pande

The Waldo Mansion at 201 Westmoreland.

to reuse or not to reuse

Urban Land Institute enlists ideas to remake Houston's Downtown Post Office;four finalists emerge

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Good Brick Awards 2025

Preservation Houston honors historic buildings with annual awards

CultureMap Emails Are Awesome
Get Houston intel delivered daily.